The shots weren't falling in the first half, so North Brunswick turned to its defense to find some momentum. And, as it turned out, an increased intensity on the defensive end led to an uptick on offense.

Brittany Vick scored 16 points and North Brunswick used a smothering defense to limit South Plainfield's offense and create points off turnovers in a 41-32 victory last night in South Plainfield.

After entering halftime with 12 points, North Brunswick (16-6) erupted for 19 in the third quarter. North Brunswick coach Shaun Morrell said it was a matter of staying patient and taking advantage of opportunities to turn things around.

"We knew shots weren't falling. They were there, so we didn't want that to get us frustrated," he said. "So we talked about just upping the tempo defensively. When we did we were able to attack the basket and score, and that's the difference."

North Brunswick built a double-digit lead in the third quarter, and it sealed the victory in the fourth quarter by hitting free throws to maintain the lead.

In the first quarter, South Plainfield (11-9) used its 1-3-1 zone to disrupt North Brunswick's flow on offense as it kept the ball out of the lane. South Plainfield took a 7-2 lead in the second quarter.

North Brunswick rallied back into the game in the next eight minutes behind the shooting of Vick. The senior scored eight points in the frame, including a late 3-pointer to pull North Brunswick to 13-12 at the break. Vick said the first quarter was frustrating for her team, which did a good job bouncing back to finish the game.

"Everybody's a little down, but it's only the first quarter, and we've still got three more quarters to go," Vick said. "We wanted to win, so we had to come out and do what we had to do."

Vick once again led the way in the 19-point third quarter by scoring six points. The senior finished with a game-high 16 points. Stephanie Guevara added eight free throws for North Brunswick, while Nicole Montalbano scored six points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

For South Plainfield, Jackie Dvorak finished with eight points and six rebounds, and Sarah Cargill tallied seven points.

After a tough start to the game, Morrell said his players did a good job to fight through the adversity.

"Sometimes kids are a little bit flat, and we thrive on energy," Morrell said. "They're always in the game defensively, and it's just a matter of playing a little bit harder."